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Business unusual.
That’s what it’s going to be at this year’s Africa Academy Movie Awards
(AMAA) which is getting extra attention this year, after it’s
repackaging. The seventh edition of the annual awards will commence on
March 21 with the grand finale holding at the Gloryland Cultural Centre,
Yenagoa, Bayelsa State on March 27.

Deviating from the
norm, a series of activities will precede the showcase event that will
be witnessed by major players in Nollywood, people of Bayelsa and
foreign delegates including a 20-person contigent from Egypt.

“We have a lot of
tourism products we are going to showcase because we are the greatest
beneficaries of the repackaged AMAA,” began Jokori Macaulay,
director-general, Bayelsa State Tourism Development and Publicty Bureau,
at a press briefing held to announce the changes. Macaulay, who spoke
in the company of Silva Opuala-Charles, the Commissioner for Finance and
Budget and Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, chief executive officer of AMAA,
continued: “We are well prepared to take advantage of the innovation and
have packaged various activities. One of them is 12 Hours Round
Bayelsa, which is a tour that will start from the mainland to the
coastal line. Coastal Bayelsa has very attractive sites and we are going
to showcase some of them.

Tourism and development

“We will be
embarking on heritage tourism which will involve a trip to Oloibiri. We
will also visit the Slave Holding House at Akassa. In Brass, we will
showcase the Colonial Cemetery. Lake Efie, another important tourism
destination Bayelsa wants to develop, is also in the itinerary. In fact,
one week might not be enough to visit all the places,” Macaulay said.

Obviously enlarged
to centre the awards on the people and make it contribute better to the
economy of the state which has supported it since inception, the awards
are tagged ‘Experience Bayelsa 2011’ this time around. It will feature
amongst others, a talent hunt show, beauty pageant, craft and art
exhibition and a book fair and film workshops.

“There is a
domestication of skills here; we want to create an economy out of AMAA,
that’s what’s going to happen. The governor has given a new lifeline to
AMAA, jobs are going to be created. Our people are going to enjoy the
benefit of the entertainment industry and that’s the whole idea behind
this diversification. We will make sure that jobs are created, Bayelsans
are highly talented people and I think this is the way to go. I’m very
sure that very soon, Bayelsa will be the destination for tourism and
entertainment,” Opuala-Charles reiterated.

Corroborating the
finance commissioner, Anyiam Osigwe disclosed that an ongoing film
training workshop for 50 youth at the Niger Delta Wetland Centre,
Yenagoa, is targeted at this. She said that, “their first after-training
assignment shall be to produce short films using Bayelsa’s best film
locations. The films will be highlighted during the celebration.” The
AMAA boss added that that would not be the end of the training however,
as outstanding participants will be sent for training abroad. “Those
that are good enough and who show a real interest in knowing more about
film will be given scholarships to the Prague Film School who are
partners of the African Film Academy. Some of them will also be taken to
the National Film Institute in Jos.

On sponsorship

On sponsorship which
has always been a major headache of AMAA, Anyiam Osigwe said she
couldn’t talk too much about it because most sponsors prefer to do their
unveiling themselves. She however disclosed that South Africa Airlines
and Arik Air are the official airlines for this year’s awards. She also
disclosed that AMAA enjoys the backing of some structural partners
including Chevron and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP),
which is working with the African Film Academy on the training of youth.

Despite talk of a strained relationship between AMAA and the Bayelsa
State government, Anyiam-Osigwe affirmed that she remains committed to
the state and that was why the awards had been repackaged to benefit the
people. “Bayelsa invested in a piece of paper seven years ago when AMAA
was an idea; the state should also benefit from its investment. Loyalty
to a piece of paper is what keeps us going. Other states have offered
more than Bayelsa in trying to host, but we are with Bayelsa.” AMAA, she
added, has also given back to the state in many ways, including making a
documentary, ‘Hidden Paradise’, about Bayelsa in 2006. Anyiam-Osigwe
noted further that AMAA has always discovered and aided the development
of fresh musical talents including Edge. She added that Bayelsa Town
Storm, featuring three musicians, will be included in the package this
year. On the financial involvement of government, Anyiam-Osigwe and
Opuala Charles declined to give specific amounts. The finance
commissioner described their relationship as a partnership and that
government’s involvement was minimal. The Africa Academy Awards
nominations for excellence in film were unveiled in Nairobi, Kenya, on
February 25.